The Rejected Mate (Elaine and Michael) novel Chapter 90

The silence in the Alpha’s office lingered long after Michael’s last words. It wasn’t just quiet- it was holy. The kind of silence that comes before a storm or the moment before a wound finally closes. Even the air seemed to hold its breath.

Elaine could hear the faint ticking of the old clock on the wall. Each second fell like a drop of water into a vast, echoing void–slow, deliberate, and unrelenting.

She looked at Michael. Once, the Moon Goddess herself had bound them–two souls intertwined by fate. But now, as she stood before him, all she saw was a stranger draped in memories and regret. The man who had been her destiny and her undoing.

Beside her, Darius stood unmoving–his aura calm but commanding, the kind of strength that didn’t need to be announced. His hand rested on the small of her back, steady and warm, an anchor against the ghosts swirling in this room. He was her present–her truth–and his presence alone reminded her she was no longer alone.

Elaine inhaled deeply, drawing the air into her lungs like she was gathering the last pieces of herself. Her spine straightened, her shoulders squared. “Let’s finish this,” she said softly, her voice echoing like the strike of a bell.

Michael swallowed hard and nodded. “All right.”

He took a single step forward, careful not to cross Darius’s invisible barrier of dominance. His eyes softened as they landed on her face–on the woman who had once been his by the Goddess design.

“Elaine of Crescent Moon,” he began, his voice steady yet cracked by sorrow, “I, Alpha Michael of Silverblade pack, reject you as my mate and Luna.”

The words fell heavy and final. A faint shimmer of silver light rippled through the air between them, fragile and fleeting–the bond unraveling thread by thread.

Elaine’s chest tightened, but she didn’t flinch. As Darius had said, the pain was gone. The thread had been fraying for years, hanging on by will alone. And now, it simply… snapped.

When the silence settled, she lifted her chin, regal and unyielding. “I, Elaine of Silverblade, reject you, Alpha Michael of Silverblade pack, as my mate and Luna of your pack.”

Her words rang through the room–clear, resolute, and absolute.

The air shifted. A rush of invisible wind swept around them, and the silver thread between their souls shattered in a soundless explosion of light. The bond–once bright and sacred- was gone.

Michael winced, clutching his chest as if his very soul recoiled. But Elaine… she only felt a quiet release. The bond had been a dying echo for too long, its weight replaced now by something lighter.

Her wolf stirred within her, stretching, breathing. It’s done, her wolf whispered. We are free.

Darius exhaled, slow and deep. The tension that had filled him since they entered this room finally broke. He turned toward Michael, his voice low but carrying the authority of an Alpha who feared nothing. “It is done.”

Elaine turned to Darius–and suddenly, everything changed.

A warmth blossomed in her chest, spreading through her veins like sunlight after a storm. Her wolf stirred again–no longer calm, but alive, ecstatic. The room blurred at the edges as she felt something new, something ancient and powerful, snapping into place.

Her eyes widened. “Darius…” she whispered, her voice trembling between disbelief and wonder.

Her wolf was howling–Mate! Mate! Mate!-a song of joy and recognition.

He froze, his breath catching as their gazes locked. “Elaine…” His voice broke on her name.

They both felt it then–the unmistakable pull, the spark of a divine bond awakening between them. The mate bond, pure and uncorrupted, pulsed between their souls like a heartbeat. The Moon Goddess’s blessing reborn.

Darius’s eyes widened, wonder giving way to reverence. He had attended countless mating ceremonies, searching for the one meant for him–and she had been beside him all along. The woman who had survived.

“You’re my mate,” he breathed, almost in awe. “You’re my mate, Elaine.”

Her tears shimmered but didn’t fall. “Yes,” she whispered. “And you’re mine.”

A slow, heartfelt smile curved his lips as he stepped closer. His hands framed her face gently, reverently, as though she were something sacred. Then, without another word, he kissed her -deeply, fiercely, and without shame.

It wasn’t a kiss of lust or possession, but one of love and contentment. Of souls finding each other through years of pain. The Moon Goddess’s silent approval rippled through the room as if the very air hummed with light.

Michael stood where he was, frozen. Watching them, he felt something both beautiful and tragic. He could see the love they shared–the raw, unfiltered devotion that was once meant for him, but had found its rightful place in another’s arms.

He thought of Kathy, of the mark on her neck she hid beneath scarves and high collars. A mark that should have symbolized love but instead reminded them both of pain. A mark built on betrayal.

Perhaps one day, he thought, we’ll find peace too.

Elaine pulled back gently, her fingers brushing against Darius’s hand. “Let’s go,” she murmured.

They turned toward the door. Michael remained silent, rooted by regret and the ghost of what might have been. He moved toward the window, staring at their reflections in the glass–two figures walking side by side, framed by light.

Elaine paused at the doorway, glancing back one final time.

“For what it’s worth,” she said softly, “I hope one day you and Kathy find peace, Michael. I know you love her–that’s why you chose her and followed your father’s will. I understand now that I could never have been truly happy if you’d fought for me. Though I can’t give my forgiveness today–what happened here was… unforgivable–but I can accept and understand it. Because without all of it, I wouldn’t have found Darius. And Darius makes me happier than I ever thought possible.”

Michael’s throat tightened.

Elaine continued, her tone gentler. “Tell Kathy she doesn’t need to hide her mark. She should live the happy life she prayed for when we were young. We can’t undo what’s been done–but we can choose not to let it define us anymore. I may not be ready to forgive, but I don’t wish either of you pain.”

Michael’s voice was barely a whisper. “And you, Elaine… you deserve all the happiness you have now. I’ll tell her.”

Elaine’s eyes softened one last time before she turned away. Darius opened the door, and together they stepped out.

The door closed behind them with a quiet, echoing thud–final and absolute.

Outside, the sunlight had broken free of the clouds, spilling through the corridor in golden bands. Elaine lifted her face to it, feeling its warmth spread across her skin. For the first time in years, it didn’t sting. It healed.

Darius looked at her, his eyes full of quiet admiration. “It’s over,” he said.

“Yes,” she breathed. “It’s finally over.”

He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, his touch gentle. “You were strong in there.”

“I had to be,” she said softly. “For Nathan. For us.‘

He smiled–the kind of smile that felt like a promise–and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Come home, my love. Let’s go back to where we belong.”

”

As they walked down the hall together, Elaine didn’t look back. The past no longer called her name.

Outside, the wind whispered through the trees–a new song, bright and unbound.

Somewhere deep within her, her wolf lifted its head to the moon and howled–not in pain this time, but in triumph.

The Moon Goddess had taken.

But She had also given back.

And now, at last, Elaine could truly breathe again.